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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 169
Bikes: 1997 Trek Multitrack 730, 2003 Gary Fisher Tassajara, 2003 KHS Flite 800, 2005 Santa Cruz Chameleon, 2008 Surly Long Haul Trucker, 2011 Santa Cruz Butcher
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The tire swap and the change to rigid fork would likely be all you need and can be done for much less than $250. Even changing the tires alone would have a pretty significant impact; the rigid fork is just icing on the cake. Most rigid forks I think would be suspension-corrected for 80-100mm travel bikes - more than likely you could do a straight swap with minimal effect on geometry/handling.
From my own experience, the Kona P2 rigid fork does an awesome job as a replacement. Couple that with a decent set of 1.5" street tires and you're good. I have had the greatest success with the Specialized Armadillos, personally. I've found this setup to be more than enough for the pothole-laden streets of SF. And the fact that it is still a mountain bike means that you can still throw on some knobbies if you felt like it, say during the longer days of summer, and look forward to any shortcuts/urban trails on your way home if you have any.